This week at the movies, we’ve got animated autos (Cars 2, with voice work from Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy) and execrable educators (Bad Teacher, starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake). What do the critics have to say?
Pixar’s output has been so good for so long that it seemed unfathomable that one of the studio’s films would get a less-than-rapturous response from critics. Well, all good things must come to an end, and that now includes Pixar’s streak of Certified Fresh releases; critics say Cars 2 looks fantastic, but the studio’s trademark storytelling prowess and character development is MIA here, and the result is a decent animated feature that must count as a big disappointment, given the standards that Pixar has set for itself. This time out, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is off to a big international race with his best buddy Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) in, ahem, tow. Soon, though Mater finds himself in the middle of a secret espionage mission. Will he still be able to help Lightning in his quest to be the fastest car in the world? The pundits say Cars 2 is visually delightful, but its plot is uninspired, and it’s over reliant on gags and shtick instead of an interesting story. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run though Pixar’s filmography in chronological order.)
There’s no shortage of tasteless Hollywood comedies in the world, but it’s rare that a movie gets criticized for not being tasteless enough. However, such is the case with Bad Teacher, which critics say has moments of raunchy hilarity but doesn’t quite fulfill its outrageous premise. Cameron Diaz stars as Elizabeth, a boozy, wildly inappropriate middle school teacher who’s looking for a sugar daddy so she can leave her job behind. Elizabeth falls for a hunky substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake), but she’s got a rival for his affections, and soon, her scheming and bad behavior starts to affect the whole school. The pundits say Bad Teacher benefits from a sharp performance from Diaz, but it sags in spots, and it’s never quite as wild and transgressive as it should be.
Leap Year, a drama about a journalist who engages in a steamy, complicated affair with a sadist, is at 100 percent.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, a documentary about the radical environmental group that engaged in domestic terrorism, is at 85 percent.
Chris Weitz‘s A Better Life, a drama about an immigrant’s struggle to provide for his teenage son, is at 83 percent.
Passione, John Turturro‘s documentary tribute to the music and culture of Naples, is at 83 percent.
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, a doc about the comedian’s stage show in the days after his public break from NBC, is at 79 percent.
The Names of Love, a French romantic comedy about a radical woman who has affairs with conservatives in order to convert them to her cause, is at 67 percent.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey, a doc about the 25-year global oceanic journey of a loggerhead turtle, is at 67 percent.
General Orders No. 9, a meditative doc about the ecosystem of the South, is at 60 percent.
The Best and the Brightest, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris in a comedy about a couple that pulls out all the stops to get their child into an elite kindergarten, is at 36 percent.
A Love Affair of Sorts, a lo-fi drama about a man who documents his tentative relationship with a woman he catches shoplifting, is at zero percent.
